Behind the Scenes
by dcelest
Summary: By having the courage to follow their hearts, they became in what they wanted to be and found pleasant things on the way. Hinted ItaNaru. AU.


Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

_AN:_ _Written for__ the-awesome- ItaNaru Fanwork Swap on Lj!_

_I wasn't planning on posting this up, but then I thought...oh well why not?  
_

_This fic is really (work) safe, I mean I know it's supposed to be an ItaNaru but there isn't even a kiss ^^". I guess that if you're tired of reading lemons (it can happen...right?) this thing might work for you. *insert stupid laugh*  
_

_Beta: Healiel  
_

* * *

**Behind the Scenes**

* * *

It was a Sunday morning, and one would usually not find many people on the streets and stores in the relatively small town called Uzushio; it was renowned for being a beautiful place filled with pleasant habitants.

However, some people tended to run errands - like going to the supermarket - on this day and time, even if Wednesday was the best day for shopping due to better offers and fresh goods.

There was only one supermarket in town. But it was spacious with high ceilings and had an incredible variety of products, something not expected from a small town; nevertheless, the stable economy brought forth by the exporting seafood around the continents allowed its people to live with certain luxuries sometimes only found in the big cities.

Between the food aisles there was a small blond boy, who played with a supermarket cart. Using his feet, he gathered impulse and pushed himself along with it; giving out loud squeals of delight. He was not supposed to do that but the temptation had been too great, though his mother had scolded him before for that kind of misbehavior.

"Naru!" The horrified exclamation came too late, as the cart crashed against an oblivious passerby's cart and the crowd started to gather around the spot, murmuring amongst themselves.

At the sound of the crash, a beautiful woman with long red hair rushed out from behind the nearby food aisle to find her son lying on the floor, surprisingly enough not crying, but laughing out loud as if subconsciously knowing his clumsiness. She saw an older boy of around thirteen years old with pale skin and dark eyes, helping her son to get up.

He asked him kindly, "Are you ok?" The blond boy looked up and dark eyes widened slightly without knowing why. For some reason, clear, vivid, blue eyes stared in simple wonderment. "I'm fine, Thank you!" The younger of the two said with a smile, after snapping out of a short self-induced trance.

The sheer cheerfulness that was contained in the boy's grin full of white teeth; was enough to get out a small, but amiable smile from the older boy.

"Itachi! Is everything all right?" A concerned woman asked while moving towards the scene. The older boy, Itachi, hesitated for a moment before taking his eyes away from the young blond. He finally answered, "Everything's fine, mother, no one's hurt."

After witnessing the beginning and the ending of the interaction between the two boys, the red-haired woman checked to see if her son had any injuries. "Don't ever do that again! Do you hear me?" She declared with a firm stare. "What would I have done if you had gotten hurt?"

"Mom, m'sorry," Her son said, a bit embarrassed. "What's important now, is that you're fine though" She sighed, relieved, as the crowd started to disperse.

"Kushina?"

At the mention of her name, she raised her gaze to meet up with an old but familiar one.

"Mikoto!"

Both of them looked surprised. It was an unexpected yet pleasant encounter. They smiled at each other and began to talk excitedly whilst picking up fallen cans of soda and some food articles. When Mikoto picked up a little box and realized what it was, she giggled. "Ramen? Oh, you sure haven't changed one bit, Kushina! I wonder how your husband puts up with you!"

"I could say the same! So mean!" She said with a rose tint in her cheeks. "We haven't seen each other for so long, and the first thing you do is bully me!" After that, the only thing one could hear coming from them were amused whispers and laughs.

Meanwhile, the two boys were left completely bored, and ignored. The hyperactive blond turned to look at the older boy with the same previous wonder. "Name's Naruto, what's yours?"

"My name is Itachi Uchiha, nice to meet you Naruto," Itachi responded. The good manners his parents had drilled into him, so many times before, had made an automatic appearance. "How old are you?" Yes, he had good manners but he surprisingly found himself humoring him; because Itachi believed that silence from that point on did not mean he was defying proper etiquette rules.

Then, what had changed? His precocious and observant mind had told him that the child before him had a compelling charisma. Did that imply something in his book? Not exactly. Maybe it was just curiosity that somehow had been awakened.

"Seven!" Naruto answered, bringing out seven fingers in an endearing manner. Itachi could not help but smile very faintly at the sight. For a minute, that action had reminded him a bit of his little brother at home. Itachi thought they were both of the same age.

He glanced at their mothers, they looked to Itachi like they were still conversing about what he assumed was probably everything and nothing. They were good friends it seemed. Itachi remembered seeing her around the house several times when he was younger.

"It's so nice to talk to you again." Kushina merrily said. Placing the final can back in place and starting to move.

"I would like to believe you, but you forgot about me as soon as you got married!" Mikoto followed, faking a hurt expression. "E-mails and phone calls aren't enough, you know!"

"I-I'm sorry! You know that it wasn't on purpose…" Kushina raised her hands defensively, not knowing what else to say.

Of course, she had not forgotten her friend but it had taken time for her to properly assume the role of a wife and mother so suddenly. It had consumed all her time, and now she found that she had really missed Mikoto. Like her friend said, it was not enough with just e-mails and phone calls.

They tried to catch up on their lives while walking down the aisles, with two kids in tow.

Mikoto lowered her voice and uttered, "I understand, I understand, that you two were busy in Konoha making…" Mikoto got closer to Kushina, enough to mischievously whisper into her ear, "That cute blond kid of yours, he's the spitting image of Minato!" She ended the sentence with a giggle.

Kushina's eyes widened, and her face impossibly reddened. "Tomato!" Mikoto yelled and pointed at her face, before she burst into laughter.

The red-haired woman put her hands on her waist. "Mikoto! Look who's talking. You have _two_ brats; you're the one too busy for me!" Kushina felt small tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. Noticing this, Mikoto immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, just…I really did miss this," Drying the tears off with a hand, she continued, "and now I know that you… you're moving for sure, after all. You're leaving for the big city." Kushina finished with a sad look on her face.

"I'm really sorry, Kushina, for not telling you sooner. It's hard for Fugaku and the children as well, but I have to support him." Mikoto replied, leaving a hint of sadness in her tone. "His job as the newly appointed chief of Konoha's Military Police Force demands it. We can't stay in Uzushio anymore."

"I know, it's just that—I came back, and now you leave." Kushina said, feeling quite depressed for a moment, thinking about the day when Mikoto finally left for Konoha.

"Despite our friendship, you see why it's better for your family to stay and for mine to leave. It's a necessity." Mikoto pointed out.

"If Minato and I aren't going back to showbiz, then the best place to stay would be here," Kushina responded. In reality, she was an optimistic woman, indeed it was hard to let go of a friend but no matter what or when, she knew that she would see her dear friend one day. She was sure of that.

Even if this time the positions were reversed.

* * *

"Minato, please talk to him. I don't know what to do anymore!" A stressed out Kushina said in a huff. She did not know what was happening with Naruto, and it was worrying that she could not get through to him. "I'm tired of being the bad one here! Talk to him, it's your turn now."

"I know, you've told me that already, but what can I do? He doesn't want to hear me out!" Minato contested, exasperated with the current situation.

"Obviously you haven't tried hard enough," Getting up from the wooden chair; she looked at him in a way that made it evident that she would not hear 'no' for an answer. "Just go"

"But, Kushi-"

"Go"

Minato stood up before things could get ugly with his wife. There was a problem with their son, and if they (in this case, Minato) did not fix it, Naruto could be expelled for good.

He stepped out from the kitchen and started to make his way towards the stairs. He paused in front of his son's room. Outside, loud heavy rock music could be heard. Rock meant he was fuming.

This conversation with his son could, in many ways, go wrong; however, defeat meant he had to deal with a very irritated wife. In addition, he did not want threats to that invaluable _part_ of his body.

He knocked three times on the door. When no response came, he tried calling his name out loud. Minato thought Naruto would not open, but he was proven wrong as soon as he heard the sound of the door being slowly unlocked.

"What?" The disheveled look plus the same clothing from yesterday stated clearly that he had not showered yet.

"We need to talk, it's important."

The lack of tact that Kushina had when discussing problems moreover her short fuse would sometimes trigger fights between them. In several occasions, Minato had to stay in the middle as the one who had the most lasting patience. Long ago, he had turned himself into the peacemaker.

Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya, would often say with mirth that Naruto looked like a mini twin of Minato, whilst in personality he would resemble his mother.

"Not interested." Naruto automatically replied. He was going to close the door with a bang if it was not for the interference of a strong arm blocking his intended action.

"Don't make me lose my patience, Naruto. Let me in." To a fifteen year old like Naruto, the shadows hanging amid blue irises so similar to his own were sufficient for him to move without thinking. Naruto stepped aside and turned around. He threw himself on his bed, making himself comfortable as he watched his father reduce the volume of the music considerably.

Naruto knew that it was impossible for him to escape from this one. He had gotten a temporary expulsion of one month; also he had to sign a commitment letter. Needless to say, his mother was furious and his father had a disappointed aura around him. Whatever it was, he did not want to hear it.

Minato sat down on the bed, close to his son. "So, even if they were the ones who provoked you, what made you decide to send them to the hospital?" Minato saw his son hesitate before responding. The teenager opened his mouth and closed it just as suddenly.

That was strange, Minato thought. Just like Kushina, Naruto was true to his persona and always spoke what was on his mind. "Naruto, it's ok, you can tell me anything. You know that." Minato reassured him.

"I—it's, where do I start?" His son muttered, indecisive. It was hard for Minato to see him like this. What had happened? "From the ending, middle, beginning…from whatever you want, son" Minato sat closer, placing an arm over his shoulders in a comforting fashion.

"You know that I've had stupid fights with other guys in the past over stupid things, after the last detention everything calmed down…but," Naruto inhaled deeply, his chest constricted and fingers formed fists that clenched with force on his orange colored shorts. "Last Friday, I saw some seniors beating this seventh grade kid, I knew that I should have stayed out of trouble but—!"

"Breathe in, breathe out, Naruto. Take your time." This was bad. To raise such a reaction from Naruto…he must have seen something horrifying. He had had an incredible sense of justice since he was little.

"They began to say that he looked like a girl, ripping his shirt and all. Then, one of them started to unbutton his pants… and there I lost it. Though, I stopped when the beaten up guy yelled at me and grabbed my shirt. He was crying and told me 'please, it's enough, thank you so much.' Then, he ran."

After letting it all out, Naruto had calmed down and let the weight of his head fall on top his father's shoulder. "I didn't care if I got a permanent expulsion; I just knew that I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't do something to defend him," Naruto shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again with a determined glint. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out what they were going to do later on."

"I'm a troublemaker like mom says…but it was unfair what was happening. I'm not trying to boast or anything, but he was weak and I was stronger. So, for once, I broke the rules for something good, I think." Sometimes, Minato believed that it was a tad bad idea for him to let Naruto learn self-defense and martial arts with Jiraiya. Nevertheless, this child of his had always proved him wrong in many ways and once again had succeeded in amazing him.

"So!" Naruto sat upright and crossed his arms daringly. "If you try to punish me for it, fine; I don't regret what I did, at all!"

"Who's going to punish you, dear? I don't see anyone with such intentions here." A smiling Kushina said while carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of miso ramen and chopsticks on the side, ready to be used. "By the way, I received a call from the principal. They said you were permitted to go to school starting next Monday."

"What? Why? How? " Naruto asked without taking his eyes off the tempting tray in front of him. Making the torture longer, Kushina moved the tray left and right, up and down, watching together with her husband how their son's eyes would move along with it.

It was truly amusing. But, it was not in her heart to be that cruel. Giving him the tray, she answered. "Well, the kid said everything. They lowered your sentence and those other kids will have a severe punishment coming."

"Sorry for yelling at you," Kushina said as she jumped into the bed to sit beside her son. She ruffled his hair lovingly and left a kiss on his cheek. "Mom, I'm eating!" Was all that Naruto could croak out without choking himself in the process.

"I have an idea! Tonight we're all sleeping here!" Kushina walked over the room to turn off the music and the television, when she was about to push the switch off of the TV, she saw a familiar face on the screen.

"Our celebrity of the week is Itachi Uchiha. He has risen quickly as a star. He has built an impeccable reputation as an actor in a short amount of time. He's considered a genius by the entertainment industry. Furthermore, his good looks have provided him a large fan base, astounding isn't it?"

Kushina sure was astounded. 'This Itachi…was that cute little boy?' She asked herself, still in disbelief. He really had grown nicely. She knew Itachi was an actor, Mikoto had told her once over a phone call. She wondered how Sasuke was doing in the police department and if they still remembered Naruto. They had played together a few times in the past, after all.

"Konoha News on channel five—"

Kushina turned off the TV. She had to make sure to call Mikoto one of these days.

"What? When did I agree to this?" The youth could not believe this; his parents were taking over his bed and his room! Well, that was embarrassing. He felt content and relieved with how everything went, but having his parents spend the night in his room was definitely not necessary.

"Hurry, eat that up, Naruto. These, father to son conversations are emotionally tiring. I'm sleepy." That was it. For someone like Naruto this called for drastic measures.

Naruto saw his parents making themselves comfortable, taking out the covers and getting extra pillows out of his closet. They disappeared for a few minutes and reappeared once again with pajamas on.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth, darling." She purposefully ignored the fact that her son had not showered yet.

"I know!"

"Mom, that's my pillow!" Oh, no. It was his favorite pillow. Nonetheless, a threatening violet-blue gaze screamed at him to shut up or he would find himself sleeping on the couch.

"No worries mom, you can have that one."

After that, Naruto had been ordered to turn off the lights against his will, had to grudgingly tiptoe to his bed, had to try to lie down in the lack of space his parents had left, and last but not least…without his favorite pillow. Oh, but in Naruto's mind this was far from over, the night was still young.

They had won the battle, but not the war! With a mental battle cry, he opened _it_. If he could not have his pillow, no one else would!

That was why his parents woke up in the middle of the night due to a strange happening that had affected their sense of smell.

"Whoa, what's that smell? Minato, was that you?" Kushina yelled, wearing an expression tinted with disgust. That horrendous odor could only be described as an abomination! What was that exactly? 'An illegal combination of rotten eggs, potatoes, and fish!' Her mind supplied.

"What? No!" A startled Minato replied. It was not him, well, not any more. He thought he had been the first one to be asked due to the gastric problems he had at the beginning of their marriage. But, that was unfair, it was not his fault!

He revered Mrs. Mito Uzumaki, Kushina's grandmother. Without her, he would not have known where his suffering would have ended. Sure enough, since then, his wife's cooking had been flawless. So no, it was definitely not him.

"Ah, that was me." Naruto abruptly stated. He had a splitting grin and in one hand a popped up capsule. But it was his bed and his room. 'Problem?' He cheekily thought.

As they were ventilating the place with open windows, pillows and sheets for pure, fresh air, Minato said between chuckles:

"That's a troublemaker for you."

* * *

His hands were sweaty. He felt panic rising at an alarming pace. Naruto tried to not give it much thought but from the looks of it, it seemed impossible. He had what he needed—headshots, resumes, auditioning material and enough practice. He jumped in his seat when his cellphone rang out of the blue. Tanned hands searched quickly inside his left pocket.

"Hey! Were you picked?" A female voice asked with excitement.

"Mom, this is not the right time to be calling and I have yet to audition." He mentally sighed. Naruto was certain he would have a heart attack at the rate this whole situation was going. He had had enough with people looking talented and professional sitting all around him.

The aspirants for a place in this brand new production for the big screen coming from the "AA", the famous Ame Alliance, were numerous. Everyone else, like him, thought this to be a grand opportunity to not be missed.

"Sorry! But, remember that even if you aren't picked…don't give up!" Naruto could feel his mother smiling, always supportive of the majority of his decisions and briefly thought about his father, who fervently believed in him. The moment Naruto remembered that he had an amazing family rooting for him at home, the accumulated tension diminished, only now to be replaced with renewed confidence.

"Next is, Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Thank you. It's my turn now, wish me luck, bye!" With a smile, he closed his cellphone and stood up.

'This is it' Naruto thought. This was his chance, and he would not waste it. Taking a deep breath, he advanced towards the white door in front of him.

It was an imitation of a stage; there were reflectors and red curtains on the sides. Seated behind a large table were three people observing every detail as he walked inside, from the way he entered the room to how he was standing. For Naruto, the continuous stares were unnerving but he got himself together and walked until he was at the center of the stage.

He first saluted, and then proceeded to say his name out loud. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, nineteen years old and the character I'll be interpreting is Kurama."

At the mention of the character, Naruto saw their eyes widen. He imagined it was something they were not expecting from a man, at the very least. He had only received those few pages of the script by accident. Later his agent, Tsunade, had given him the right one.

He had read through both. However, for some reason, he wanted to interpret the first one. He hoped they would let him try. The man with pale skin and red hair, said to him, "You do know that role is meant for a woman, right?"

Naruto could only answer with a 'yes, I know'. Naruto knew who they were; he had seen them on television and magazines before. The one looking at him was Nagato, the director. The other two were Konan and Yahiko, the writers. Part of the reason as to why so many people were auditioning as Tsunade had mentioned.

The other part, Naruto believed, was to be given to Itachi Uchiha; days ago it was leaked to the public that he had attained the starring role. Naruto had never seen so many girls gathered in one place, probably the other male candidates thought the same way.

"Why did you decide on interpreting this character?" This time it was Konan who inquired. She had a white rose adorning her dark hair, Naruto noticed. Heavy, black eyeliner around the contours of her amber eyes and a small piercing below plump lips made her quite a dangerous but attractive sight.

"I didn't really care if the role was for a woman or not, I'm interested in it because of the context the character is developing in. I was pulled in by the intense, dark feelings this person has like her anger, hate, and resentment. The past that keeps chasing, that torments her to no end…" Naruto explained. As he waited for an answer he saw how they glanced at each other and spoke softly.

Naruto was sure getting nervous. He did not want to admit it but he wanted another call from his mother.

"Start" Said the person seated farthest on the left, a man with spiked orange hair, light blue eyes and several piercings on his face.

"What…now?" Naruto felt stupid and wanted to smack himself for sounding like a lost kid.

"Yes, now." The man chuckled.

'Relax, c'mon you can do it' Naruto chanted in his mind, he would not fail. Not when Naruto had been waiting all his life for a chance like this. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. He cleared his mind completely before opening them, and then he began.

"You're a fool if you think you can help me." They immediately noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere in the room.

"You people think I'm an intricate, fascinating case to be studied. You're a fool Mr. Shrink," His eyes, stance, voice…that young man was not himself, he was another individual altogether.

"But just because you don't seem idiotic and arrogant like the ones who came before you, I'll say this to you," They felt the atmosphere turn ominous when he walked near the table with a voice laced with a dreadful yet beautiful harmony.

"I don't feel so well. I thought that you should know, I thought that you should know…" With surprising strength, he roughly placed his hands against their table. At the swift movement, they had resisted the urge to gasp and jump on their seats, the deafening sound his action had made was accompanied by the next three words, "before you…fall."

"Thank you!" The woman exclaimed, surprising the ones at her side. "That'll be enough."

Getting back to his senses, Naruto heard his cue to leave. '_That's it?_ Was it that bad?' he asked to himself. But he had no choice; it was time to leave the room.

When the door closed, Nagato asked the woman beside him, "Why did you dismiss him so fast, Konan?" She looked at him, and replied, "It wasn't necessary to see more, he's the one we need."

"I agree but if we choose a guy we'll need to make changes to the script, right?" Yahiko asked while putting away the hidden video-camera with the full recording of Naruto's performance in its hard drive.

Konan chuckled before saying, "What are you talking about, Yahiko?" She faced him, and continued, "Everything's fine the way it is. He's perfect."

Although, Nagato would be the one in the director's chair, Konan and Yahiko were the ones who had the final say as the casting directors. They were known for many things, and one of them was for working together as a team.

But Nagato had an odd feeling about this project. With this last and unpredicted change, he really hoped to see what Konan expected to accomplish; even if he could not deny the strange but nice appeal that the young blond man gave to the interpretation.

On the other hand, he wondered how Itachi was going to react to this little detail.

* * *

Naruto was ecstatic. The first thing he did when the call ended was to crush his parents with a gigantic hug. He could not believe this; he was sure he had messed up.

"Mom, dad, I got the part!"

A few months ago, his parents had moved to Konoha as well. His mother had tried to convince him to live with them, but Naruto had refused. He did not want to leave his current apartment that had cost him many months of hard work which had included being a waiter for a while in his favorite restaurant 'Ichiraku'.

"Congratulations son, I knew you could pull this off." His father said, truly proud.

He had his first important role under his sleeve. Naruto had worked hard for this, his agent, family and friends could attest to that fact. Having played small or leading roles in independent films, drama shows and sitcoms, he had realized the need for something more complicated, more challenging.

With this in mind, he had bugged and irritated Tsunade with calls and visits to her office - as if there was no tomorrow. Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, was not happy with the _almost_ everyday racket. All in all, he had gained a healthy amount of death-threats during that time.

He was more than happy for her support, without Tsunade he would not have known what to do with himself on many occasions. Naruto was not interested in fame or wealth in contrast to a great quantity of people with the same aspirations. He had found, a few years ago, that acting was really the road to follow.

Naruto nostalgically remembered when the 'acting bug' had gotten to him. He was fifteen and fortunately or not, he had arrived late for school. To his horror, the blond had been selected to perform in a small play for that year's school festival, as a punishment.

He had expected the whole situation to be a living nightmare; however, everything had turned out to be anything but that. Naruto ended up fascinated and enamored with acting, to the point that he had joined the acting club. The club would count on Naruto's loyal participation in the subsequent years.

When he graduated, Iruka— the club advisor— had told him, 'I'm going to miss you, you have great talent. Remember Naruto, that it's not easy, should you choose this career. No matter what happens, keep going.' Naruto had those words engraved on his heart. They resurfaced at every difficult turn of events along with his mother's motto, 'Don't give up till the very end!'

The first thing Naruto's parents had told him was that if he was going to pursue an acting career; he was going to have to move to the right place— Konoha. Naruto had somehow thought that it was quite strange for them to agree that easily until his father commented in an innocent tone that he was once a singer and his mother, a model.

At that moment, the shock of hearing that news had led to a shrimp getting stuck in his throat. By all means, it was not a nice experience; these days, at least, his parents had the decency to not reveal any secrets while they were eating.

And true to Iruka's word, the beginning was horrible. In spite of rejections and hardships, he would fare incredibly well until he became more or less well-known for his outstanding performances in the small screen. From that point onwards everything would start to look brighter and brighter.

* * *

"_My name is Setsuna—" The man began but was interrupted immediately by an annoyed voice, "and I am a psychiatrist from who knows where. I have so many degrees and PhDs, I'm so cool and you'll be cured in an instant with my super formula!" His cynic, sharp tone was like a dagger piercing the other's attempt at pleasantries. _

_There were white lights illuminating the small room. It was a special one that had been prepared just for the two of them. A table and two chairs were the only furniture that could be found inside. Outside, guards were more than ready if a disaster were to happen. _

_Two men were seated in front of each other. One of them had a long, white lab coat hanging from his shoulders while the other was wearing an outfit that consisted of a shirt and pants of a light grey color. _

"_Kagami, and I'll be the one treating you from now on." The man known as Setsuna finished his previous sentence. He knew enough about the reputation of the man he was dealing with, but he still continued, "May I know your name?" _

"_You already know my name, the things I've done before, my life story…why the hell would you ask that?" Setsuna noticed the evident displeasure at every mentioned word. His patient had taken off his shoes, crossed his legs and bended just enough to lie his arms and head on top of the metallic table. _

_After an hour or so, Setsuna got tired of the dynamics in which they had fallen into, useless answers to useless questions. For Setsuna it had been enough, he was not going to spend an entire day waiting for him to stop being difficult. "So Kurama, I was told many things by my colleagues and have read files about you. Things like 'he's a waste of time' or 'he's really insane' and oh! My favourite 'he's the devil incarnate!'" At that, Setsuna could not hold back a loud laugh; when he looked at his patient again he saw bewilderment clearly plastered over his face. "What?" _

"_You're different…from the others," Kurama said slowly, "and yes, I've been told those kinds of things before, by many people. Are you going to be one of those?" He asked. A bit amused by the curious shift in the air provoked by the doctor. _

"Cut!" A voice called out through a megaphone.

'Everything's going smoothly. But there's something missing, and it's definitely coming from Naruto' Nagato had contemplated for a few moments before he sent someone to fetch Naruto. He had decided that he needed to talk to him and fast.

The rehearsal could not continue this way; he was not satisfied with the results so something had to be done. These small rehearsals were key factors as to how the actors were to play a scene and if possible technical adjustments were to be needed.

He saw Naruto walking towards him with his second assistant, Deidara. Naruto seemed anxious; the director could tell by the way his eyes would glance at everything at once or for the constant scratching at his head. 'Indeed, something is wrong' Nagato thought.

As the director, it was part of his job to get the best out of his cast. His profession could not be taken lightly, he had many responsibilities upon his shoulders; he had to work directly with each component of his film crew. He had to be involved in every aspect of the film.

In general, he had to bring a vision to life. Convert a compilation of ideas into sequences of moving images, deciding along the way, how everything should look, feel and be received by an audience. He was responsible for Konan and Yahiko's script and he was not going to fail them. Apart from that, together they had a reputation to uphold.

He dismissed Deidara with a wave of his hand while getting up from his chair. Putting the megaphone on his seat, Nagato looked straight into Naruto's eyes and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No! Nothing's wrong, why?" The answer came too fast, his words almost jumbled. The anxious glint in his eyes intensifying, at that Nagato guessed what was probably happening; all of those years working as a director were not represented by simple ornaments hanging on shelves or walls.

"Naruto, as you can see, this is a team effort. We're going to stop rehearsals for today, but I need you to look back on your audition." Nagato said placing a hand on one of Naruto's shoulder.

"Your performance lately has been too bland for this character, and I don't regret giving you a certain freedom with your role as I did with Itachi. Let me tell you that I can see you've already grasped who Kurama is, and what is behind that shell." When Nagato took his hand off Naruto's shoulder, he saw a look of understanding and a slight tinge of disappointment passing on the young man's features.

"Above everyone else, we chose you. Keep that in mind." The red-haired man assured him with a firm voice before turning around and leaving Naruto speechless in the middle of the set.

Nagato desperately wanted a cup of coffee, any other day he would have sent one of his assistants but this time he felt it was better for him to go instead. When he got out of the film set, he felt relief. It was true that he liked to work between the stress and mental fatigue his occupation provided; however, to go outside to feel the sensation of fresh air was irresistible for him.

On the street, he waved at acquaintances and people he did not really know or remember. Sometimes it could be awkward, but he had gotten used to it. Gradually, the scent of coffee strengthened, attracting and guiding his senses until he reached his destination.

It was a small but cosy coffee shop with dim lighting and walls painted in soft brown shades. The place had an almost traditional air surrounding it.

He was not surprised when he saw someone he knew very well, located at the back; almost hidden from view, behind beautiful yet fake hurricane lilies. The man still had the lab coat on, an observation that made Nagato chuckle. He paid for his coffee and strode across the place, stopping when he was facing him.

"You're practically unrecognizable. Hello Dr. Uchiha, may I join you?" Nagato was waiting patiently for his reaction, would he play along?

"Of course, take a seat, how may I help you?" Itachi asked. A tiny flicker of amusement was seen in his eyes but only for a second. Nagato sat down, making himself comfortable. They had known each other for quite a long time; he could still remember when they were both just starting.

"I've stopped the rehearsal for today," Nagato began, taking a sip from his coffee. He saw the faint 'why?' on the other man's expression. "It was for the best, things weren't going as I had planned."

"Uzumaki?" Itachi quietly wondered, watching almost with interest the small, chocolate colored whirlpools he made with a metallic spoon between his fingers.

"I gave him some time." 'Of course, Itachi would notice it as well' Nagato thought.

"He's good but it's not enough." At hearing those words Nagato was slightly taken aback. Did he really say that? "Or perhaps…he's playing safe." It seemed Itachi had recognized Naruto's potential to some extent, though he had not seen the best of him yet.

In that moment a sudden thought crossed his mind. He was not sure if it was going to work; Naruto only needed a small push after all.

So, maybe…just maybe…

"Let's get back. I would like to show you something."

While walking on the sidewalk together with Itachi, Nagato heard him say, "I wonder what is it you want to show me." With a small, secretive smile, he answered, "You'll see." Itachi did not say anything else during the rest of the walk.

Moments later, when they were on the set once again, Nagato went to where the camera and lighting crew were. He found Yahiko amongst them, helping with the equipment. For some reason, he had expected to find him there. Sometimes, Nagato had the feeling that Yahiko would have liked to be a Director of Photography.

Nagato called his name out loud. He saw Yahiko looking up at his direction and trotting towards him.

"What's up?" Yahiko asked with a grin.

"Do you have the video-camera that you used for the auditions?" He recalled seeing his friend with the camera a few days before; recording and taking photos at random. Nagato could bet every cent he had that if he checked those pictures he would see Konan in most of them, at different angles.

"Yeah, I have it. Wait a sec!"

When Yahiko came back, he had a small bag in his hands. Giving the bag to Nagato, he returned to where he was but not before saying, "Don't tell Konan about the pics!"

Nagato smiled knowingly while unzipping the bag and taking the camera out; having the camera turned on, he searched for the video file he wanted Itachi to watch. "Finally, here it is." Nagato said.

He gave the video-camera to Itachi and subtly observed his face for any upcoming reaction. It was amazing how his face or his body did not make any emotion perceptible. However—

'There! Was that interest…surprise maybe?' Nagato could not completely finish his train of thought, not sure of what he had seen.

But he distinguished a strong form of emotion in those dark eyes of his friend. In any other moment, if he had not paid enough attention in the way he had done earlier, something like that would have been overlooked by him. It was something that disappeared almost in an instant.

"Why did you show me this?" Itachi asked, breaking the silence all of a sudden.

"Can you help him?" Itachi gave back the camera to Nagato, and then whirled around without saying another word.

Even after all these years of knowing him, Nagato could not understand that man, he doubted someone ever could. Both could be alike in some aspects, but it seemed as if he was living in a separate universe; detached of almost anything and everything.

It was as if a monochrome world existed, just for him to live in.

* * *

Naruto had understood what Nagato meant, but somehow his mind made a mess of what he told him.

The blond glanced at every corner of the set; people were rushing about, talking to each other, taking notes or making modifications. He saw the director's first assistant, Sasori; probably coordinating the schedule, plus managing the set and equipment with Hidan, the production coordinator.

It was a miracle that he remembered who this people were. But they were part of the people he had been seeing frequently for a few weeks now and had made friends with them already. Deidara had been quite nice to him too, even if the conversations sometimes did become one-sided, with him getting excited when talking about special effects and explosions.

Naruto knew for sure that he had a strong desire to be here. To be in front of the cameras, to meet fellow actors, but most of all to see and prove to himself what he was capable of; to finally demonstrate that he had talent. Long ago, he had wanted to be an actor. Now that he was one, he wanted to be one of the best.

The blond felt proud. He did not save lives from diseases or fires, but he entertained them instead. There was a reason why people went to the movie theatres and classified films as good, bad, passable or favourites. They could feel fascinated about seeing a story that could represent each one of them, or for seeing a new fantasy world and be part of it for a few hours.

The feelings that a series of images mixed with appropriate sentences could evoke in people were wonderful and incredible.

It was true that everything would begin with an idea expressed through words on a piece of paper or virtual document, but there were times when people would not be satisfied with just reading. Naruto had realized that films were not only pictures in motion that told a story. It all held a deeper meaning.

The actor wanted to be someone who could convey with actions what sometimes words and imagination alone could not.

Without giving another glance at the film set, he went to the costume department to change his outfit and get rid of the layers of make-up that turned his normal, colorful aspect into a pale and sick one.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, he was not Kurama anymore. "What could be missing in me?" Naruto whispered to himself. What was holding him back?

He grabbed any personal items he had brought with him and exited the costume department. He walked at a fast pace to the parking lot, where his old and orange-painted bike was waiting. And he would be gone already, if it was not for a little detail. His beloved motorcycle was not starting!

'Oh no, no, no, no!' He screamed with panic in his mind, 'this can't be happening!' His faithful two-wheeled vehicle could not die on him, not right now! Naruto knew he should have bought a new one, he had enough in his savings for that, but the sentimental meaning behind this was too strong for him to simply throw it away.

It had been a present from his father. He remembered when he first started learning to drive and the few, small accidents he had in the marketplace involving baskets of fruits or trees that suddenly got in his way.

"Is there a problem?" A deep voice asked from afar. He knew very well who that voice belonged to. It had abruptly interrupted his reminiscing and for some reason, just one rehearsal was enough for his brain to unconsciously record it.

"No, no! Everything's ok, thanks." Naruto replied without thinking, still trying to get his motorcycle to start, every attempt in vain. He wondered how much time had passed.

"How strange, it seems to me that is not the case." His blond head spun around so fast, it almost hurt. He saw Itachi standing on his parking space, with a slight curious gaze. Naruto was surprised. He had not heard his footsteps.

"I can give you a ride, if you want." Itachi mysteriously offered.

"Really? I don't want to be a bother…" 'What the hell is wrong with me?' Naruto mentally whined. He had a considerate side; he honestly meant what he had said. Somehow he felt that it would not be right, if Itachi was doing this as an obligation. Besides, he did not want to cause trouble to someone he barely knew.

"If it was, I wouldn't be asking." The man turned around and began to walk towards his car.

'Well, if he says so…' Naruto decided that it would not hurt to take the kind offer. But first he had to make a phone call to one of his friends, Kiba. Naruto was sure he would help him; the young actor refused to say the last goodbye to his bike until it was necessary.

* * *

Annoying horn sounds, angry shouts, and it was definitely proving to be a long ride due to an endless traffic jam. He heard a strange sound coming from his right. It was his co-star's stomach, it seemed. Itachi heard him mumble an embarrassed 'Sorry…' while looking away with flushed cheeks.

Checking his watch, he saw the tiny needle moving to the twelfth number. Well, in this situation he could not blame him but sadly, it was going to take a while to get out of this.

"What everybody has in their minds right now is food." Itachi considered that it would not be bad to kill some time with a bit of pointless conversation.

"And probably the typical, 'if some of these idiots had taken the bus today, I would be home already'" Naruto retorted, with a wide grin stretching his mouth.

"Or the need to use a restroom." The older man said; taking a look outside through a black tinted window at the seemingly endless lines of immobile cars. With a pale finger, he turned the radio on, letting a random song play in the background.

"Ah damn, you shouldn't have said that." Itachi saw with concealed amusement the way Naruto crossed his legs while scratching his neck, growing visibly uncomfortable.

Itachi had felt a really strange sense of familiarity since the first time he saw him on the film set, but had categorized it as unnecessary and pushed it to the back of his mind. Now that they were side by side talking nonsense, he felt as if he had already lived this moment. His mind trying to pull a memory—

"Hey! What's wrong? You got silent." Naruto's voice interrupted Itachi's sudden reverie. Finally, the car in front of them was starting to move.

A hint of a smirk invaded the man's face, and Naruto somehow noticed it having a bad feeling about the change. "Have you ever been to _Ame_?"

"Damn it!" He should not have drunk so much orange juice. And he had been to Ame before, in an embarrassing family trip.

"_Can you help him?"_ Nagato's voice unexpectedly echoed inside Itachi's mind. What was he supposed to do? Give him one-on-one lessons? He was not an acting coach. In that moment with Nagato, there were many other things he could have said but he did not say anything, silently confirming his cooperation.

The actor in that video had caught his attention: his movements, actions, and facial expressions. Kurama's madness and complexity were perfect in those minutes. And he knew without a doubt why he was the one. However, he was not the same actor right now, and thereby, his performance was terribly affected.

In this very fickle world filled with blinding flashes, false luxuries, shallow personalities, and emptiness; what prompted this young man to want to get into this plastic place?

And Itachi wanted to know, because if what he saw and perceived in that video was real, then it would mean that Naruto could very well become into a_ real_ actor and not a useless fleeting replica.

"Akatsuki!" Was the ecstatic exclamation from the blond, the radio was still on and there was an alternative rock station currently playing. "Ah, they're made of pure awesomeness!"

"You don't seem to be someone that likes that kind of genre." Itachi was not the type of person who would judge according to appearances, but his analytical mind had the tendency to process almost every detail of anyone he had met or any situation he could find himself in.

Long ago, his father had said to him once that he had an incredible sharp eye. These days he could not help but think that this sort of ability was a double-edged sword. Sometimes, he did not have the desire to successfully figure out what was happening around him but knowledge could be hard to ignore.

So many things could be gathered based on appearances, speech patterns, and corporal language. Even if all of the things one can find out whilst making use of this characteristics end up being a speculation; most of the time the person would do or say something revealing that would transform the previous speculation into a fact.

'All right Nagato, I'll see what I can do.' Itachi thought. "What about the Sound Four, you know them?" He asked. If Itachi wanted to go somewhere with what he had planned, he considered that it would be better if he established a sort of connection between them; and that, he would be able to accomplish by talking about probable common likes.

"You kidding, right? Their last album was great, it's a shame they're not making more music." The blond replied as he made a sad face. "It's nice to know someone else likes those bands, but you don't look like someone who would like them either." He ended the sentence with a laugh.

"Is that so? Then, what genre of music do you think I would be more prone to listening?" Well, that was interesting. Not many people would like music from other countries, and when one's tastes vary from the norm, no matter what it is, one can become strange in other peoples' eyes.

"Wait, let me think…" Naruto squinted his eyes a bit and focused on the man before him. "Yes, yes…classical would probably suit you, I think."

"To be honest, I enjoy classical music, depends on my mood though." Now that Itachi stopped to think about it, he normally did not have these conversations with other people, he preferred to avoid them. This time he had a hidden purpose, yes, but it all felt… comfortable, alarmingly so.

"That happens to me too! I like to listen to heavy rock or metal when I feel pissed off about something…oh! What about me?" At that question, Itachi's half concealed smirk became a bit more visible. He just mentioned one word to which Naruto shuddered, "Pop"

"Pop, really?" Naruto asked in complete disbelief, "No way! There's only pop shit these days. No wait, the only thing close to it that I can handle would be the Seven Swordsmen…that was decent pop."

Itachi had to admit to himself that he was a bit surprised. "They were the Mist's most famous pop band three decades ago, how did you know about them?" He asked with genuine curiosity, in the present day not many people knew about that band.

"I remember my dad used to listen to their music when I was kid" Naruto answered with an evident smile on his features. Itachi could notice memories surfacing due to the slight absent look he had for a few minutes.

Naruto was relaxed, he could see it. It was time to ask. "May I know why you chose to become an actor?" He saw his co-star looking at him. There was surprise clearly written on his face, provoked by the unexpected question. "I apologize beforehand if it is a personal question for you." Itachi carefully added.

"Nah, it's ok," the blond began. He seemed to meditate for a short while until he spoke again. "I think I couldn't have chosen a better way to live. This is what I want to do. This industry is able to create new things, new realities, and as actors we're part of it. We can be whatever we want; we give life and make come true what sometimes is only in peoples' imagination, it's really fascinating for me."

He sighed before continuing, "I was told many times 'You're not what we're looking for', but that gave me even more strength to keep going and now I'm here and grateful for it. I've learned so many things but I still need to get better…"

"It's your turn now!"

"My turn?" Itachi asked, although he knew what Naruto was referring to.

"Well, about you being an actor! I told you, so you have to tell me!" Naruto exclaimed as he crossed his arms and an expectant glint swirled in his eyes.

"This is where you live, right?" Itachi took advantage of their arrival to what it seemed to be, according to his address, Naruto's place.

"Oh yeah, I live here." Naruto replied, getting temporally distracted when he realized they were in front of his apartment complex.

After pulling over, and waiting for Naruto to get off of the vehicle, Itachi planned to leave if it was not for a finger gently knocking on the window of the co-pilot's seat. Having no other choice, he pressed one of the buttons that were at his side. The black tinted window automatically lowered itself showing on the other side narrowed blue eyes and…was he pouting?

"Don't think I'll forget about this, you'll tell me!" Naruto said a bit too loudly for Itachi's ears; the blond's stubbornness was peeking out.

"Fear"

"What? Fear?" What was Itachi trying to say? Was it just another attempt at changing the subject? Either way, Naruto was puzzled.

"Fear is what is holding you back." Itachi stated, before leaving the neighborhood. Naruto just stood on the sidewalk beside a streetlight, deeply shocked by Itachi's parting words. He saw his—what it must be— expensive, shiny, black car disappear when it turned round a corner.

"What was that supposed to mean?" he whispered, the shock slowly wearing off. Deep inside, he knew he had the answer though. A better question would be: why would Itachi tell him something like that?

Was he trying to help him?

* * *

The morning's cool air made itself present around the streets of Konoha. Some would say it was a restless city, with too many people, noise, and activity. For others though, it was where one's dreams or aspirations could be turned into reality. Potential actors, singers, models, dancers from diverse parts of the country were waiting for that life-changing opportunity.

And Naruto Uzumaki was just one of them. Then, what was it that made him different from the rest?

One day, he stopped dreaming out loud and decided that it was about time to search for his one big chance. It was an extraordinarily difficult feat, one that he could remember, but worth every painful second. The deep loneliness and desperation he had felt numerous times were enough to scare anyone else away back home.

However, he had been blessed with a spirit like steel inherited from his parents; the same which had been put to test in many unlucky occasions. Naruto was used to it. Or at least, he had to believe it.

In this particular morning, the young blond man felt renewed. He was not a morning person per se, but for the sake of his job his desire to stay in bed went neglected. Yesterday, he had spent the whole afternoon reflecting on himself in the secure confines of his bedroom until he saw the big, round moon high in the dark sky, telling him it was time to sleep.

Fear.

Was Itachi a mind-reader?

When he had said that one word, Naruto was sure he had seen a kind of knowing gleam in his dark gaze. He had felt as if his soul was being pierced in that very instant. It had left him speechless and stunned.

_Fear._

In order to fall asleep in peace, he admitted to himself something he had not done in a relatively long time: he was _afraid_. He was afraid of what he could do and be. It was simple, in a very deceptive way. Naruto had concluded with the help of his father—a call that had lasted for about two hours—that his intense anxiety that came in different shapes halted his progress as an actor.

He was only another imperfect human being.

Having in mind that crying for yesterday's mistakes was not his style at all; this morning he opened his eyes, took a shower, got ready and ate breakfast with only one thought in mind: he was going to keep doing what he was best at.

And that was, to follow his heart.

* * *

It felt good to be free in a weekend. It was the first one in a long time. Naruto would have liked to be buried between soft blankets for a while longer, but the phone beside him rang incessantly until he became fed up with it; a tanned hand took the risk of setting out on a blind search for the handset.

"You promised to have lunch with us today! It's nine a.m., get up!" Said an excited female voice over the telephone line; Naruto had trouble registering what was being said. More than half of his brain was still clouded with sleep and blue eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the cruel beams of sunlight.

"Honey? Are you still there?" The sweet tone on that voice was quickly replaced by an angry, high-pitched one. "I hope you didn't fall asleep again while I'm still talking. I'm not interested in having a chat with your pillow! Get up!"

"I'm up, I'm up…" Ah, it was his mother; his very lovely mother. What did she want? And as if she had read his thoughts, Kushina said, "Lunch, today, with us. Repeat after me: lunch, today, with us."

"Lunch, today, with us." Naruto parroted while kicking back white, crumpled sheets. As he rubbed his eyes, he heard his mother ask, "Understood?"

"Understood" The blond automatically responded, he was not sure when he had turned into a robot. His mother had magical powers. Or perhaps instead of a model, she had been a commanding officer of who knows where.

"Good boy. Two hours, so hurry up! Clock's ticking darling, bye-bye!" The sweet tone came back. After she said goodbye, Naruto heard the sound of his mother putting down the phone. Sometimes, Naruto wondered if his mother had always been a tad…bipolar.

How had his father fallen in love with her again? Love could be a very odd and complex emotion. It was amazing how they were still together. The percentage of divorces among famous couples was very high, he knew that. That meant his parents were one of the few couples that had gone beyond those statistics.

He also knew that their departure to Uzushio had help greatly with their struggle; with paparazzi chasing them everywhere, and the tabloids making their lives a living hell. No matter what kind of adversity had been waiting for them, they had made their relationship work.

At times, Naruto pondered if one day, he would be able to find a suitable partner for himself and endure together the hardships that came with the entertainment industry.

Every time he saw his parents, he could tell that love was a form of strong commitment. Therefore, he could not understand the people that casually said 'I love you', the words falling off of their lips in the easiest possible way. It was unforgivable and unbearable when people lied to their hearts.

The actor shook his head, deciding that it was best to stop thinking and get ready. His mother's annoyance was not something he wanted to deal with, besides with his stomach grumbling he could not wait to get there and eat something really nice for a change.

* * *

"…left the socks behind the TV again!"

From the entryway he could hear the angry shouts of his mother. The blond could recognize them even if he was miles away, he should know, because for so many years they had been specially directed at him.

'Home sweet home?' Naruto thought, while walking towards the living room in which he found his mother with a pair of white socks in her hand.

"I'm sorry, I forgot!" And his father had his hands raised and shocked eyes as if he had been discovered by Konoha's Police Force with illegal substances. "You always forget. Now, you wash them." Naruto watched as his mother, using the socks, almost dug a hole in his father's chest.

"In the same way you wash your under—Naru!" She finally realized he was standing there in an awkward manner. "It's so good to see you!" Pale, slender arms wrapped around his neck as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You don't even call, now it's all about work, work and work."

"Oh! I cleaned and prepared your room, let me show you!" His mother in a happy state was always quite contagious.

"Mom, I didn't say I was staying…" He really did not want to sadden her. Then again as far as he could remember he did not say he was staying for the whole weekend.

"What? I know but—you'll stay right?" She said in a soft, adorable but persuasive voice, "Right?" Those big, beautiful eyes of hers looked at him and he knew, in that moment, that it was too late to say no.

Now he was old enough to admit when a battle was lost (in his mind, women were dangerous creatures—like his agent). "Ok, you win, I'll stay." Naruto said, as they walked down the hallway. His mother stopped walking and opened the door to his 'room'. At first sight, everything seemed organized and smelled clean.

Naruto stepped inside and marveled at the sight of orange painted walls, the black bean bag at the left side of his bed, his red lava lamp, old video-games, and posters of his favorite movies, bands and games. He felt as if he had turned fifteen again.

"You're amazing!" That was the first thing he told his mother after gaping for about half an hour. "I know." His mother retorted with a self-satisfied smile as she tugged a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

But, Naruto noticed that there was something that did not quite fit with the overall décor. Three small boxes were in a corner beside the closet, on top of the other, giving the impression of being forgotten.

Before he could ask about them, his mother announced abruptly, "I have to go, kitchen calls!" and watched her disappear. "Mister Namikaze, my dear assistant, help me with the dishes!" He faintly heard her say. Naruto smiled warmly. Some things never changed and if they could, he would not want them to.

His curiosity made him move toward the boxes. The young man separated them and bent down. Removing the tapes, he opened the lid of the third box. He did not know why he started with the third one, instead of the first. But he was surprised when he saw many photo albums inside.

He smiled once more when he opened one of the albums and saw pictures of his eighteenth birthday. His parents and Jiraiya had visited him.

Naruto remembered when his godfather had mischievously whispered to him, 'Well, you can legally watch porn movies now!' The old man had not realized that an irritated mother was standing behind them with a pan in one of her hands. 'What was that?' At that time, the menacing aura had been too much to bear. And as always, Naruto had to cover for him. He recalled saying something along the lines of, 'We're goin' to watch 'Popcorn' the movie!' stuttering with almost every word.

Naruto laughed at the memory, and with his mind back in the present, it all sounded so ridiculous to him. He closed the album and placed it on the floor. He kept looking at the other albums for a while until his hands stumbled upon a small one. It had a simple black leather cover.

The actor let out a loud gasp when he saw, page after page filled with old photos of his parents. But the last one shocked him the most.

Behind the shiny plastic, was attached an old photograph; the definition of its colors was not the same as the photographs of today. However, he could tell by the scenery that the photo was taken in a park. His tiny self of thirteen years ago, he presumed, was there; grinning happily in the middle of two black-haired boys. "Who were they?" Naruto muttered the question.

'Wait a minute! That kid…!' Naruto focused his attention on the older boy. His appearance (dark hair and eyes of a boy who seemed to be too serious and composed for his young age) definitely reminded him of someone he was getting to know very well these days.

"No way!" He yelled, as a sudden realization struck his mind. "Itachi?"

Not even five minutes had passed when he was standing in the kitchen with the album in hand. "Mom, you have to tell me about this!"

He saw his mother taking out plates from a cabinet. She looked at his surprised face and then to the album tightly grasped between his fingers. Her eyes widened in recognition and asked, "Where did you get that?"

"It was in a box, in my room." Naruto quickly replied. "Ah, yes. I forgot to unpack that. Well, don't you remember?" His mother inquired with a smile. "Remember what?" He answered back with haste. The need Naruto felt for an explanation was nearly overwhelming.

"It was for a really short time, but you were friends with Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, before they moved anyway. I guess it wasn't long enough for you to remember…" She explained. "But after all this time you two are working together now, isn't it nice? Seems like destiny!"

* * *

"_Did you enjoy it?" The doctor inquired suddenly. It could be startling sometimes how he would unexpectedly change topics. It was not something that he would do with every other patient though. Only with Kurama. _

"_Enjoy what?" Kurama narrowed his eyes. "To kill them all," Setsuna replied, the smile never leaving his face. _

_Only he would receive special treatment. There was an answer why the specialists that had come before him had failed. They had treated Kurama as if he was an ordinary patient with ordinary psychological problems. He was anything but that. _

_Most of them would say it was a case of multiple personality disorder with a nice touch of schizophrenia. But there was more than that. He could feel it. Kurama was the key. And Setsuna had promised to himself to uncover the answers that he desperately needed. _

"_Strange." Kurama said in an emotionless voice._

"_Still stuck on that? I certainly don't need someone like you to tell me that I'm strange," Setsuna rose up from his chair. Taking the chair, he lifted it; he walked toward his patient, put down the chair and positioned it beside him, in the opposite direction. "It's quite…creepy you know, for obvious reasons."_

_When Setsuna sat down, he reconsidered mentioning a piece of personal information that may or may not be helpful for this particular session. He had nothing to lose if he tried. "My brother was staying in that motel."_

_An eerie silence followed that last statement. Their gazes met at the same time. And there was something lurking in the killer's gaze; something that Setsuna could not distinguish. A bead of sweat fell from his forehead, while the hairs at the back of his neck stood up. _

_Did someone touch his shoulder? _

_His head twisted around. No one was behind him. _

"_Leave things as they are." He suddenly heard the blond man whisper into his ear. When did he get so close? _

_Setsuna automatically shut his eyes when he felt a pair of hands steadily applying pressure on his neck. "I've got nothing to lose." He managed to say with great effort. His skin felt as if it was burning up. His limps were abnormally paralyzed. _

_He forced himself to open his eyes. Blue. It was the most obscure shade of blue he had ever seen. _

"_Your…life." He heard him utter. The lethal connotation in every word was painfully clear. His mind was spinning without control and he just wanted to breathe. Miraculously, his legs reacted to his need and proceeded to push the man with the strength only adrenaline could give him. Kurama's body crashed with the chair behind him. _

_The loud noise of his fall alerted the guards outside. They entered the room to find the madman on the floor; attempting to get up, but both guards immediately seized him, pulling out an injection; inside, a liquid that would sedate him. _

_The doctor panted. His very pale fingers were clutching at his thighs. _

_No one saw his expression; it was hidden by a veil of black strands of hair. Perhaps, it was for the best; since it exhibited the most pure form of horror. _

"Cut!" And another take was over. The camera and sound crew temporally halted the recording process.

The film was shaping nicely and only a few crucial scenes needed to be recorded before the production phase could be completed. A meeting with the production office that marked the start of the post-production phase was near. He would have to give Kakuzu, the production manager, and Tobi, the post-production supervisor, a call.

Nagato had already predicted that it would be a long meeting. He only hoped that Kakuzu would not be too intent on discussing budget matters. Hope was a free thing, after all.

As stress slowly built up at the thought, he saw something that took his mind away from the thought of those awful and tiresome meetings. Itachi was walking alongside Naruto, chatting casually. Nagato witnessed how relaxed Itachi looked, listening and then replying to whatever they could be talking about.

Both disappeared from Nagato's line of vision when they went in to the costume and make-up department. 'Those two have an incredible chemistry…' he thought.

And it was not only by the way they complemented each other in every scene. There was a connection between them; it felt like a natural and unique one. And Nagato, being a director as well as Itachi's friend, inevitably noticed. After observing them closely for eleven months, he had found it extremely hard to contain his observations in just one word.

Because he had learned long ago that, when it was about Itachi, nothing was as simple as it seemed.

* * *

As they were stepping outside the film set, a sudden gust of chilly air came upon them. The sky had darkened hours ago, and the days were exhausting for the cast, especially for Itachi and Naruto. Everyone's time slots were lengthened to meet the schedule; and therefore the production would soon end as it had been planned. As actors, both knew they would not be needed anymore.

"Want some coffee? My treat," Naruto said, turning to look at Itachi with expectant eyes. Itachi blinked and assented by softly nodding. The blond smiled brightly before exclaiming, "Ok, let's go. I'm freezing!"

They started to walk by a very familiar road. A block away was the coffee shop that Itachi seemed to be fond of, Naruto had noticed.

Tonight, the wind was unusually strong. Naruto saw out of the corner of his eye, his companion's long black locks that flowed together with the wind. For a brief moment, he wondered if Itachi had grown his hair out for the role.

"I did let it grow for the part, if that's what you're thinking…" The man suddenly broke the silence. "How did you—never mind. It's a mystery to me how you do that. " Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion, did the man really have mind reading powers? He honestly hoped not.

"It is not that difficult. I had presumed what you were possibly thinking when you had been staring at my hair with what it seemed to be curiosity." He said. A hint of a smile successfully made its way to his face. "You're open with what you feel and think."

"Is that a bad thing?" Naruto asked. His words kind of reminded him of the times when Jiraiya used to say to him, 'you wear your heart on your sleeve brat!'

"No, it's not. Today, honesty is hard to find in people and it is one of the things this world needs the most, I believe." Somehow, Naruto felt an inexplicable nervousness at the intense stare he was receiving. He did not know how to answer to that. But, he fought back with all of his might the sudden flush that threatened to spread across his cheeks.

They finally arrived at the coffee shop; the aroma of fresh coffee enveloping them in a pleasant manner. Followed by Itachi, Naruto entered the place and unconsciously walked to the always unoccupied table at the back. In the last eleven months, it had become in an almost addictive routine for both of them.

As they sat down on their respective seats, a waiter came to take their orders. In fact, the waiter only confirmed their orders, since they asked for the same thing every time. For the staff, it was not a novelty to see them there, at night. Just talking, and about what exactly, they did not know.

But of course, they all knew of the good tips the pair always left on the table. As a result, there was always a race to see who would get to them first.

"It's beautiful," At Itachi's questioning gaze, Naruto pointed a finger at the red flower that was painted on the wall. "What was its name?" He asked, inclining his head a bit to his left as he tried to remember.

"It has many names," Itachi began saying, "Red spider lily, higanbana or manjushage, take your pick. Some say it is the flower of the dead. Only sad legends exist concerning this flower." He finished.

"Flower of the dead, huh? And that's depressing…" The blond trailed off, a bit uneasy. "But still, it doesn't stop being beautiful."

The waiter returned with two steaming cups of coffee, he placed them on the small wooden table and left once again.

"Say, are you scared of death?" The older man asked, out of the blue. Naruto blinked in surprise a few times, but quickly regained his composure. "I—I would be lying if I said no, but," he paused for a moment, gathering his scattered thoughts. "Should we really worry about death when we have yet so much time to live?"

Itachi smiled, after he softly hummed his agreement. The occasions were those smiles would come into view were quite frequent nowadays, and each time they appeared, Naruto would feel something unlocking within him, opening, stealthily exposing itself without his consent.

This time, he slightly lowered his head and furrowed his brow at the recurrent and strong sensation. For some odd reason, the young man felt it even stronger; it did not ebb away as swiftly as it had risen. That bizarre feeling stayed for much longer than it ever had in months.

What was happening to him? He would have asked to himself; if it was not for his introspection being abruptly suspended by the sound of a vibrating object. His hand moved out of instinct to reach his cellphone; he soon found out that the noise came from Itachi's smartphone (maybe an expensive one, it looked like it).

"Hello, Sasuke."

A while ago, Naruto grudgingly admitted that he enjoyed listening to his voice; it reminded him of those deep voices that would sound in the background of a film, as a narrator. It could have a dulcet tone that most likely many girls would swoon at.

From time to time, he would think how sophisticated the man sounded. 'Let's see, if he said something like fuck— it would sound like the most refined word ever.' And again, he bowed his head low, but this time in shame of what he had just thought. His brain was damaged, now he was sure of it.

"_Mother has been asking me nonstop when you'll be visiting us again."_

"Tomorrow"

He was not someone who liked to intrude into a person's private affairs. However, it was not his fault that he was close enough to hear the other voice and so, he continued listening. Both voices were similar, he realized. Yet Naruto's ears detected a noticeable difference; Itachi's voice seemed to be a note lower, or perhaps—

'What the hell?' What kind of nonsense was he thinking? And why did he keep doing that? He held back his sudden desire of laughing at the sheer absurdity of ideas his mind was creating out of nowhere.

"_I'll let you know that there're pictures of you with a blond guy all over the news lately. Is it true, are you d—"_

"To think that you of all people would believe in rumors…."

"_No! It's not like that, but…!"_

"I appreciate your concern for me but that is enough. Goodnight, Sasuke."

Naruto was not precisely aware of what they had talked about; his brain had decided to wander off several times. But the call had already ended and somehow he perceived an irritated air around Itachi.

"What's wrong with our cellphones," Naruto said when he heard a loud ringtone he immediately recognized as his own, "Oh it's my mom. If I take this call I know she's going to ramble on and on…" the call was missed and Naruto did not waste a minute to silence his phone.

"I see where you inherited it from." His amused tone did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

"Hey!" The blond crossed his arms and (unknowingly) puffed his cheeks in fake indignation. Blue eyes widened a little when he suddenly remembered the old photo he had seen in his room while he had visited his parents.

"This will sound crazy but, do you—." He hesitated. Not knowing how else to phrase his question, he spoke again, "Do you remember when we met as kids?"

"I do remember. In fact, there is a photograph in my parent's house; we are in a park with my little brother." Itachi answered, lightly chuckling at Naruto's astonishment.

"Whoa I have the same photo too! Why didn't you tell me all about it before? " he asked, with a hint of childishness in his voice.

"I didn't tell you since I believed you didn't remember, and didn't show signs of it either. If I was the only one holding the memories then it might as well be something that never occurred." Itachi explained as he emptied his cup of coffee. "To be honest, I remembered everything after a few weeks of knowing you." He added as an afterthought.

"I guess you're right…" Naruto almost whispered, "It's amazing how fast time passes, I was seven back then!" he ended up exclaiming.

"We can feel time walking along with us or running ahead of us. The way we perceive insubstantial things may vary on several aspects like how we would feel at a certain moment, but it always remains as a sad fact that time does not wait for any of us." Itachi uttered, suppressing his expression.

Naruto only contemplated what he had said and did not say anything else. Moments later, taking advantage of the prolonged silence, he beckoned the waiter to bring the check.

They were outside once again, strolling on the sidewalk when Naruto's mind came up with a sudden idea.

"Oh, I know, this will be my biggest mission!" he said with excitement, attracting Itachi's attention, "To one day go to your house and find pictures of you! It would be nice to see a baby Itachi in his crib!" and he roared with laughter.

And in that moment, Naruto had so much to thank for; like Itachi's pale and seemingly smooth skin for letting him see the really faint, and nearly unnoticeable, tint of pink on his cheeks—that vanished right away.

'Ha! This proves that he's embarrassed of something like any other mortal on this planet! Definitely, not a perfect version of one…' inside his mind, the blond reveled in his new-found discovery.

At first, he had started to admire him in many ways like most people did, for example: his acting. He could adopt the personality of an imaginary character in a matter of seconds. It was so easy to work with him, everything he did looked effortless and the emotions simply flowed out of him. At times, Naruto had felt as if he was being guided through the script by him.

But, as he got to know him more and more with each passing day, he had realized that his acting, popularity and looks was not all there was to him. The man was like a well, Naruto did not know how deep his personality could be. The young actor had imagined once that if he were to throw a coin, he would never hear the sound of it hitting a surface.

Naruto just needed to see how much he could keep reaching out…without falling.

* * *

These types of events were not exactly his favorite. He would have preferred to spend a quiet night, watching vintage films while enjoying the taste of fine wine and a light dinner. Extroversion did not run in great amounts in the Uchiha family, after all.

He briefly wondered how Nagato had persuaded the production office to sponsor this party. The production had satisfactorily come to an end and this party was a way to thank everyone for their efforts.

It was an elegant place, illuminated by chandeliers suspended from high concave ceilings. The cast, crew and anyone else involved in the filmmaking as well as the production were gathered and immersed in conversation.

Meanwhile, waiters went around displaying and giving glasses filled with expensive champagne. A waiter stopped before him, offering him a glass of sparkling wine. Itachi took it, muttering a 'thank you'.

Probably many of these people were wearing overpriced dresses and suits; without a doubt, trying to look attractive and impressive. But some of them were just ridiculous: too much glitter, feathers, or just gaudy designs.

He passed by acquaintances and unknown people, purposely avoiding contact with them. A few minutes ago, from one of the balconies, he had glimpsed a very familiar figure disappearing between tall evergreen trees. His eyes could not lie to him.

Making a calm retreat, he strode across a long and dim lit hallway. The muffled sound of his footsteps upon carpeted ground was audible to him only. Taking a turn to his right, he descended the stairs abandoning the empty glass of champagne on the bottom step, and made his way to the exterior door.

A garden… Itachi thought when he exited the building. The cold ambience of the vast and beautiful garden spoke to Itachi about snow coming soon. He stepped on the grass and dead leaves while he searched for the person he wanted to see.

It had been nearly a month since they last saw each other.

Following the route he might have taken, Itachi finally saw him; clad in a white suit and leaning against a tree. "Naruto." He simply said as he approached him. Naruto turned his head at the sound and smiled charmingly at him. "Hey, Itachi, it's good to see you! I thought you didn't like to show your face in this kind of stuff."

"Indeed, you're not mistaken, but Nagato asked me to come. I thought it would be discourteous of me not to." He explained. "Who chose that for you?" Itachi asked, signaling at his suit with a finger.

"What? This?" He gazed at his clothing. Narrowing his eyes, he answered back with a question. "Why would you think I didn't choose it on my own?" Did he really have supernatural powers?

"To begin with, I don't see anything remotely close to orange." Itachi replied. A small but fond smile took over his features.

"Damn, am I that predictable?" The blond rhetorically asked while ruffling his already messy hair. "When I told my dad about this, he immediately ordered this outfit. Well, I can't really complain. It's pretty cool even if I'm not a fan of formal clothes."

"In truth, it suits you; looks nice." At that, Naruto successfully pushed back the rise of color trying to appear. It was a compliment, yes, and it had sounded so good coming from some of the event's attendees. He was not used to compliments after all. But now, it was_ Itachi_ who said those words—and that pleasant feeling seemed to be amplifying to an unknown extent.

It was baffling yet exhilarating.

Perhaps, that was the fuel with which he blurted this out, "You know, when we started working together I…started admiring you. I know you've probably heard all of this before but—" He quickly took a sip of his champagne before continuing, "I like you better now, knowing that you're pretty much normal. Sometimes, perfection seems like an unnatural thing to me." His laugh had a nervous edge at the end.

Yes, he had heard those words before: admiration, like, perfection. Most of the time he tuned out whatever the other person said when those words or synonyms were involved. He knew that was a very impolite action but he was tired of them, it was not noteworthy.

But somehow, Naruto always had managed to catch his attention. Those same words he had heard coming from other people, heard and felt different coming from the young man beside him. It felt _sincere_; so much so, that it broke any possible stereotypes that his mind could have conceived and nurtured at some point in his life as an actor.

"Unnatural?" Itachi queried, showing his curiosity.

"Ah, yeah, I mean," He touched the back of his neck while looking up at the sky, meditating very hard to find the next thing to say; he furrowed his brow a bit in concentration as he stated his view, "being perfect's like trying to be something that doesn't exist. We're just human."

"As humans, our very core is imperfect…" Itachi almost muttered, looking down at the ground. He leaned against the tree as he listened. Naruto beamed at him and said, "Yep, and that's what makes it all interesting, don't you think?"

He felt himself growing, changing; everything seemed vibrant by his side. The previously overlooked sounds and colors of his reality had been turned into vital things like the air he was breathing in every instant. Any aspect of their relationship felt significant; even the pleasant silence they shared at times. It was as if anything they said or did had a meaning beyond what his mind cared to comprehend.

He had ignored the alarm bells going on and off in his head. He did not want to analyze or define what he was experiencing. He wanted to live within the unpredictability the person beside him offered; to try to listen to his instincts and not to probabilities, even if it was for one small moment. "I was supposed to become the next chief of Konoha's Military Police Force."

"Eh?" Itachi saw the confusion deeply etched in the blond's face, but he continued; it was what Naruto had asked for long ago.

"Acting represents a form of freedom for me; it allows me to be whatever I want. I helped Nagato with his first project, as an actor that was my first role. At that time it seemed a harmless thing to do, I thought 'why not?' but I didn't predict that everything would get complicated. Afterwards, my little brother and I exchanged places." He looked firmly at Naruto, waiting for the question to come.

"Exchanged…places?" Naruto asked. What did he mean by that?

"Sasuke wanted to take my place, my duties and so he did. I let him with one condition: that he would create and follow his own path instead of one created by someone else's footsteps." Smiling softly, he said, "I still don't know how he managed to persuade me."

"Well, I guess he just wanted to see you happy. You're his older brother and I think that's the only reason Sasuke needs."

Happiness—it sounded so simple, easy to say yet hard to obtain. It was a word frequently ignored, underestimated or misunderstood. 'It's never too late to be happy' his kind mother had said to him once.

"Let's go!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed as he took Itachi's wrist and started to walk, passing by undergrowth.

Was he happy with the way he was leading his life? Many times Itachi had avoided that dreaded question. But tonight he did not avoid it. He could not.

"Where to?" Itachi inquired, slightly confused and quite dazzled by the intense gleam in the blond's clear blue gaze.

He was doing what he wanted. He had the freedom to be himself.

Was Itachi really happy?

Were both of them really happy?

"I think the staff at the café is missing us." Naruto said with the most stunning and genuine smile he could ever give—to him.

He realized that he certainly was happy, and from the looks of it, Naruto was as well.

Their relationship was in an always evolving and indefinable state; a connection endlessly expanding by itself and it would stay that way for one, two, three, four and no one knew for how many more years.

Both were in the middle of a very fickle world filled with blinding flashes, false luxuries, shallow personalities, and emptiness. However, they had found an authentic heart in each other.

Doing what they really wanted and felt right in their lives _they_ could find…_true_ happiness.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

_Well, this was my first attempt *hides under her bed*. I tried to add humour and all xD _

_My mind is trying to come up with another fic so I'll see if I can do it better. _

_If you have enough free time please tell me what you thought of it.  
_  
_Anyway, Thank you for reading! _


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